The heavily-rumored Galaxy S21 FE re-launch is official. Samsung is now selling the “new” Snapdragon 888 version of the phone in India, with Android 13 onboard. It’s unclear if the company plans to launch the device in other markets where it originally sold the Exynos 2100 version.
The Galaxy S21 FE debuted globally in January 2022. Samsung launched the phone in two processor variants — Snapdragon 888 and Exynos 2100. Buyers in India, Europe, and some other markets got the Exynos version, while the company sold the Snapdragon version in the US. This has been standard practice from the Korean firm for the past few years.
But, in a surprising turn of events, Samsung has re-launched the Galaxy S21 FE in India, bringing the Snapdragon version to the country. The device is now available through its official online store and retail channels with a price tag of ₹49,999 (roughly $605). That’s a bit too pricey for a phone powered by the Snapdragon 888 chipset. Other companies are selling phones with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 at lower prices.
The OnePlus 11R, for example, is powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and is priced at ₹39,999 (roughly $485). The Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S21 FE may find it tough to compete against these devices in India. Samsung, meanwhile, has stopped selling the Exynos version, which was once down to ₹32,999 (roughly $400), through its online store in the country. It may still be available in offline retail channels, though.
The “new” Galaxy S21 FE runs Android 13 out of the box
Samsung is shipping the Snapdragon version of the Galaxy S21 FE with Android 13 out of the box. The company hasn’t specified the Android version on its product listing page, but a customer support executive told us that the latest Android version will come onboard. This should mean the device will get updates up to Android 17. The support executive couldn’t confirm that, though.
The original Galaxy S21 FE debuted with Android 12 and will get updates un to Android 16. The only other notable change is 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage coming standard. Samsung isn’t offering any other memory or storage configurations. The device is also getting a new Navy Blue color variant to go with the existing Graphite, Lavender, Olive, and White colors. Everything else remains unchanged.
For a quick recap, the Galaxy S21 FE features a 6.4-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It gets Corning Gorilla Glass Victus screen protection and comes with an IP68-rated body.
Samsung has included a flagship-grade 12MP primary rear camera with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization). It also has an 8MP zoom camera (3x optical zoom) and a 12MP ultrawide camera. The selfie camera is a 32MP sensor.
The Galaxy S21 FE packs a 4,500mAh battery with support for 25W fast wired charging and 15W wireless charging. It also supports reverse wireless charging. Other highlights include an under-display fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers, Samsung DeX support, Samsung Knox security, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6, and NFC. You can check out our Galaxy S21 FE review for its everyday performance.
The heavily-rumored Galaxy S21 FE re-launch is official. Samsung is now selling the “new” Snapdragon 888 version of the phone in India, with Android 13 onboard. It’s unclear if the company plans to launch the device in other markets where it originally sold the Exynos 2100 version.
The Galaxy S21 FE debuted globally in January 2022. Samsung launched the phone in two processor variants — Snapdragon 888 and Exynos 2100. Buyers in India, Europe, and some other markets got the Exynos version, while the company sold the Snapdragon version in the US. This has been standard practice from the Korean firm for the past few years.
But, in a surprising turn of events, Samsung has re-launched the Galaxy S21 FE in India, bringing the Snapdragon version to the country. The device is now available through its official online store and retail channels with a price tag of ₹49,999 (roughly $605). That’s a bit too pricey for a phone powered by the Snapdragon 888 chipset. Other companies are selling phones with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 at lower prices.
The OnePlus 11R, for example, is powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and is priced at ₹39,999 (roughly $485). The Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S21 FE may find it tough to compete against these devices in India. Samsung, meanwhile, has stopped selling the Exynos version, which was once down to ₹32,999 (roughly $400), through its online store in the country. It may still be available in offline retail channels, though.
The “new” Galaxy S21 FE runs Android 13 out of the box
Samsung is shipping the Snapdragon version of the Galaxy S21 FE with Android 13 out of the box. The company hasn’t specified the Android version on its product listing page, but a customer support executive told us that the latest Android version will come onboard. This should mean the device will get updates up to Android 17. The support executive couldn’t confirm that, though.
The original Galaxy S21 FE debuted with Android 12 and will get updates un to Android 16. The only other notable change is 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage coming standard. Samsung isn’t offering any other memory or storage configurations. The device is also getting a new Navy Blue color variant to go with the existing Graphite, Lavender, Olive, and White colors. Everything else remains unchanged.
For a quick recap, the Galaxy S21 FE features a 6.4-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It gets Corning Gorilla Glass Victus screen protection and comes with an IP68-rated body.
Samsung has included a flagship-grade 12MP primary rear camera with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization). It also has an 8MP zoom camera (3x optical zoom) and a 12MP ultrawide camera. The selfie camera is a 32MP sensor.
The Galaxy S21 FE packs a 4,500mAh battery with support for 25W fast wired charging and 15W wireless charging. It also supports reverse wireless charging. Other highlights include an under-display fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers, Samsung DeX support, Samsung Knox security, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6, and NFC. You can check out our Galaxy S21 FE review for its everyday performance.